"I'm pretty sure that's not where that screw goes."
Sam rolled his eyes and looked up to find Kurt watching him with a skeptical gaze. "No offense Kurt but what in the hell would you know about assembling a crib?"
"Well I know that according to these instructions it should have taken you about 30 minutes to finish this but we passed the 30 minute mark about 45 minutes ago."
"Are you the timekeeper now?"
"Nope…just making an observation." Kurt answered in a sing-songy voice.
Sam rolled his eyes again and turned his attention back to the large white sleigh crib that was quickly becoming the bane of his existence. An hour ago putting his daughter's crib together seemed like it would be the easiest thing ever but he found out soon enough that wasn't the case. Kurt had been waving the instructions in his face for the last 15 minutes and as much as Sam knew he needed that book he refused to give Kurt the satisfaction.
"Blaine is over there setting up the bassinet, why don't you go observe that?" Sam asked in a sickeningly sweet voice.
Kurt gave him a smile that matched Sam's tone perfectly and in an equally fake sweet voice he replied, "I think I'll do that. He actually read the instructions so he's almost done. Maybe he can come help you once he's finished with the project that took as long at the manufacturer suggested it would."
"…took as long as the manufacturer suggested it would," Sam mimicked under his breath as Kurt flounced off to the other side of the room where his boyfriend was putting the finishing touches on the baby's bassinet. After being wined and dined by Kurt on the ridiculously expensive date that Sam paid for Blaine Anderson had become a permanent fixture in their lives. Kurt swore up and down that Blaine was the one and considering how smitten he was Sam wouldn't be surprised in the least if it were true. Mercedes adored Blaine and they had become fast friends and while he had only been in their group for a few months he was just as excited for the baby as they were.
Thinking of his baby girl, Sam's eyes scanned the large newly painted lavender room in search of her mother. He found her rocking gently in his mom's old rocking chair as she folded a huge stack of baby clothes that Blaine and Kurt has brought over earlier that day. With a sigh Sam dropped his screw driver and shot one more glare at the crib before making his way over to his fiancée.
When she saw him approaching with his forlorn expression he could tell she was fighting back the urge to laugh. He sat on the floor beside the chair and he laid his head in her lap. Mercedes finished folding the tiny pink onesie and set it on the dresser next to her before bringing her hands back down so that she could stroke strands of his blonde hair.
"I hate that damn crib," Sam muttered after a few moments of comfortable silence.
At that Mercedes let out an unladylike snort before almost immediately bursting into a fit of giggles.
"I'm glad that amuses you," Sam replied dryly once Mercedes' giggles died down. "I hope you find it just as funny when our child is sleeping in the bassinet that Uncle Blaine put together for her because her extremely expensive crib is lying in a pile of sticks in the corner."
"Awww," Mercedes crooned at Sam's petulant tone as she continued twirling his hair with her fingers.
"You know," she whispered conspiratorially, "you could always just read the instructions"
Sam head snapped up from lap and he glared playfully up at her, "whose side are you on anyway?"
"On Lilliana's," she said as she gently patted her rounded tummy, "I want her to enjoy her ridiculously expensive crib her Daddy just had to buy her."
Sam laid his head back on her lap and murmured contentedly as her fingers starting running through his hair again.
"I give up…" He said finally as her burrowed his head in Mercedes thigh, "I'll use the damn instructions."
"Yay." Mercedes said quietly as she gave a few small claps that caused Sam to give a little snort of laughter of his own.
"Promise me one thing," he asked in a mock-serious tone, "whatever you do, don't ever, EVER tell Kurt I used the instructions."
Mercedes laughed and held up her pinkie, "it'll be between you, me and Lilliana." Sam lifted his head from her lap, grabbed her pinkie and kissed her tummy simultaneously.
"What are you two being all secretive about over there." Kurt asked from across the room, regarding them suspiciously.
"We promised to love each other forever and ever." Sam answered as he got up and put his hand down to help Mercedes out of the chair.
"Awww, that's sweet." Kurt answered sarcastically, "its complete bullshit, but at least its sweet."
"Aw, come on Kurt, I buy it." Blaine said as he hugged Kurt from behind, "it's clear that the two of them are so in love."
"Thank you Blaine," Sam said pointedly as he looked at Kurt who just rolled is eyes.
"Alright boys," Mercedes said, "enough with the sniping. I'm tired, my back is killing me and I'm starving so can we please just find something to eat so I can go to bed."
"Yes, ma'am" Kurt and Blaine answered simultaneously and everyone but Sam laughed.
"I'm sorry honey, I'm being a bitch today…I know." Kurt responded sheepishly, "How about me and Blaine go find some good meaty, cheesy, gooey Italian food and bring it back. Sound good?"
"Mmmm," Mercedes murmured, "that sounds heavenly."
"Alright then, we'll be back in a bit."
Kurt and Blaine both came forward to give her pecks on her cheeks and with a quick head nod in Sam's direction they were on their way.
Once the boys were out of the room Mercedes stretched her back while Sam watched her carefully. She was quickly approaching her last month of pregnancy so some achiness and discomfort were to be expected but Sam was worried that she had more than what was normal.
He walked forward and wrapped his arms around her and she sighed in pleasure before resting against him.
"How are you feeling?" He murmured in her hair as he gently rocked them back and forth.
"Tired, mostly. I'll be fine one minute and then exhausted the next."
"Go lay down, I'll tell Kurt and Blaine that you want to rest and I'll order some take-out for the two of us so they don't have to come all the way back."
Mercedes clearly wanted to protest but when she opened her mouth to do so a large yawn escaped instead causing Sam to chuckle lightly into her neck.
"Stop fighting it baby, you know you want nothing more right now than to sink into our nice, warm, soft, comfortable bed."
Mercedes groaned at his description, "Sam Evans that might just be the sexiest thing you've ever said to me."
He laughed, "What can I say? My seduction game is on point."
"Mmmmm, remind me of that later after I take a nap."
Mercedes turned in his arms and she laid her head on in his chest. He rubbed her back soothingly and she hummed appreciatively.
"So…you're just tired?" Sam asked carefully, trying to keep his voice light. "You need a foot massage or a back massage…"
"My back has been bothering me lately but it's nothing I can't handle," she murmured, her voice slightly muffled, "let's not forget I'm carrying around an extra person."
"Precious cargo."
"Exactly, and by the way, I know what you're doing. Stop worrying."
Sam's head snapped up from where it was resting on top of Mercedes' and he looked guiltily down at her amused face.
"I'm not…"
"Yes, you are." Mercedes cut him off and punched him lightly in the stomach, "we just went to the doctor the other day and she said everything was fine."
"I know, but…"
"But nothing. You being worried makes me worried and I don't need any extra stress. I'm fine. The baby is fine. We will be fine."
"Promise?"
Mercedes smiled gently and Sam could tell by the twinkle in her eye that she was thinking about the night of their engagement.
"Promise." She murmured quietly before getting on her tiptoes and giving him a kiss. He quickly deepened it but his actions were derailed by the large yawn that had Mercedes backing away so that she could cover her mouth.
"Go to bed, baby," Sam sighed.
Mercedes laughed at Sam's slightly whiny voice but she didn't argue. She gave him one more quick peck before heading towards the door.
"Finish my baby's bed and make sure you use the instructions this time!" She said in firm voice as she turned back to point a finger at him jokingly.
"Yes ma'am!" Sam said with a laugh mimicking Kurt and Blaine's earlier response, "I promise one way or the other this bed will be finished before you wake up."
"Lilly just kicked the hell out of me so I'm guessing she approves."
"Great, the two of you are already ganging up on me."
"Better get used to it." She winked at him and blew him a kiss before walking out the door.
Sam's broad smile faded once she got out the door and he gave a quick prayer that she was right and he was just overreacting. He knew that Dr. Holly had told them that everything looked fine but she also said that the baby was bit underweight for this stage in the pregnancy. Not alarming, but still a minor red flag. Dr. Holly warned there was real chance that Lilliana may be a bit small when she was born but she still believed that she would be within a healthy weight range.
Sam realized he was doing exactly what he promised Mercedes just a few seconds ago he wouldn't do. Pushing his worry aside he focused his attention back on the crib from hell that was perched precariously on three legs. He swore to himself that if it were the last thing he ever did he would put this crib together and after that he never wanted to see another one of these damn things ever again.
"Surprise!"
Sam bit back a groan a week later as he walked inside a conference room at work that looked as if a bottle of Pepto-Bismol had exploded inside of it.
"Be nice," Mercedes muttered under her breath as she squeezed his hand, "it's for the baby."
Sam plastered a fake smile on his face as Mrs. Halbright rushed forward with a huge pink and white corsage in her hand. She pinned it on Mercedes dress while preening about how beautiful she looked.
Mercedes thanked her graciously as she pulled Sam further into the room. He looked around at the room filled with his female employees, as well as a few males, and the fake smile only pulled his face tighter. Sam tried his hardest to not think about all the work that was not being done because they were all down in the conference room ooohing and awwwing over baby clothes.
His grim disposition almost immediately dissipated when he looked down and saw the delighted expression on Mercedes' face. Annoyed though he may be he could never stay mad when she looked so happy. He would push aside the thought of the stack of files piled on his desk and instead focus on this ridiculously lavish baby shower for his baby girl. The fake smile on his face melted into a real one as he leaned over to whisper in Mercedes' ear, "so where's the presents?"
An hour later Sam regretted ever asking about gifts. Lilliana now had enough socks, onesies, and bibs to last her until through the next millennium. Between that and the mountain of diapers, bottles, pacifiers, books, Johnson & Johnson products, and stuffed animals Sam thought he would have to look into purchasing another house or at the very least a U-Haul to get it all to his current one.
As everyone enjoyed slices of a pink baby carriage shaped cake Mrs. Halbright stepped forward to make an announcement.
"First off, I would like to say congratulations once again to Sam and Mercedes on their impending bundle of joy. We all couldn't be happier for the two of you and we can't wait to meet little Lilliana. We will all miss you Mercedes during your maternity leave and we sincerely hope that Sam handles your absence a little bit better this time around."
The conference room filled with laughter and Sam gritted his teeth. He was so glad that his devastation over losing the love of his life was all a big joke to everyone now.
Mercedes choked out a little giggle but she stopped when saw the glower on his face. She reached over and squeezed his knee before giving him a quick peck on the cheek and whispering in his ear, "Smile, it's over now and it won't happen again. I'll never leave you."
"Promise?"
"Promise."
With that Sam smiled and even let out a laugh of his own. The pleasure in Mercedes' eyes at his quick recovery warmed him considerably and he relaxed against the small couch they were sitting on.
"….so, we have one more gift that we would like to present to the two of you."
Sam had blocked out Mrs. Halbright after her poorly timed joke so he missed almost the rest of her speech until she mentioned the last gift. What else could they possibly give?
"Everyone was so generous, not only to bring their own gifts but to also chip in on the big gift for the baby. It is a bit extravagant but because of everyone's generosity we were able to get it easily. We hope that you guys love it, and we hope that Lilliana has many nights of blissful sleep in it."
"Oh no…" Sam muttered in horror, this gift couldn't possibly be what he thinking it was. If there was a God it would not be what he was thinking.
Two of Sam's lead advertisers that should have been working were instead sliding a brightly wrapped pink box with a gigantic white bow across the conference room floor. They stopped when they got in front of Sam and Mercedes and with a flourish they waved their hands dramatically before stepping away from the package. Mercedes giggled excitedly and nudged Sam who choked out a laugh of his own. He stood and reached down to help Mercedes up. She made a big deal out of walking around the box and rubbing her hands together which garnered a laugh from all of those in attendance. When she got back around to the front she tugged gently on the bow causing it to unravel. She looked over at Sam and asked in a mock-serious tone, "Should we rip it, or should we rip it?"
Sam didn't answer but instead he grabbed her hand and brought it up to a small tear at the top of the box. Together the ripped the paper down at a diagonal until a large section of the box was uncovered. Sam fought the urge to curse a blue streak at the sight of the beautiful white sleigh crib partially hidden from view by the bright pink wrapping paper. Mercedes played the part and gushed and thanked the employees enthusiastically enough for the both of them while he glared at the bane of his existence. Mercedes squeezed his hand a little harder than he felt was necessary but it brought him out of the black rage he was descending into because of an inanimate object.
With one last glare at the offending box he plastered his fake grin back on and wrapped a hand around Mercedes waist before saying, "Mercedes and I are eternally grateful for everything you all have done. This party was beautiful and all the gifts for the baby were amazing…even this crib—"
Sam's words were cut off by a sharp jab to his stomach by Mercedes' elbow. She shot him a warning glare before turning back to thank their audience again on their behalf. Once all the thank-yous were said the employees all started filing from the room and back to their respective offices. Mrs. Halbright came forward and gave them both big kisses on the cheek, "I'm so glad the two of you loved it! We've been planning this for months."
"It was so well put together Linda, thank you." Mercedes said graciously, "we really do appreciate everything."
"Don't mention it honey, we were happy to do it."
Mrs. Halbright gave them one last kiss on their cheeks before assuring Sam that she could handle things at the office, including clean up of the conference room while he got the baby's stuff back home. He smiled tightly at her retreating figure before turning to Mercedes and saying through gritted teeth, "Did they think I drove a moving truck to work today? How in the hell are we going to get all this home?"
Mercedes rolled her eyes before moving towards the huge stack of presents. "Most of this stuff can all be put into a few of the larger bags. If we put the back seat down I'm sure we can fit most of this stuff in there. As far as the crib goes—"
"We can leave it here."
"No."
"Throw it away?"
"Sa—"
"Light it on fire?"
"Sam!" Mercedes said loudly with a laugh. "We can leave it here for now if we have to and take it to the condo tomorrow. If you plan on keeping that place then you are going to need somewhere for your daughter to sleep."
'Ok then…if I sell the condo, can we get rid of the crib?"
Mercedes shot him a withering look and shoved a huge yellow bag with a teddy bear on it in his hands. "Start loading up."
45 minutes later, Sam and Mercedes managed to shove all the gifts, including the crib, in his Ranger Rover.
"You hungry?" Sam asked as the made their way back to their townhouse, "we can stop and get something and take it home."
"Hmmmm," Mercedes murmured sleepily, "I'm not, but you go ahead and get something."
"No, I'll be fine." Sam reached over and grabbed her hand that was resting on her lap and he was slightly alarmed by how cold and clammy it was. "You sure you're alright, baby?"
"Hmmm…?" Mercedes blinked rapidly and squinted up at him, "no…yes, I'm fine I just feel a little…I just need some rest that's all. The excitement of the day is just catching up to me….I'm fine. Really."
"Okay." Sam gave Mercedes a reassuring smile but the second her eyelids drooped again the smile faded. Rationally he knew that a tired, pregnant woman was completely normal but there was just something that didn't feel right. Sam knew Mercedes' body well, but he couldn't claim to know it better than she knew it herself. He had a bad feeling but he didn't know if it were just paranoia or over-protectiveness. Thankfully they had a doctor's appointment tomorrow morning so he was sure that hearing from a medical professional that all was well and good would be enough to calm his nerves. He brought Mercedes' cool hand to his mouth and he placed a light kiss in the middle of her palm. A slight smile crossed her face as she sighed in contentment and burrowed deeper into the seat.
Almost half and hour later Sam pulled to a stop in front of their townhouse.
"Babe?" He said as he nudged Mercedes gently, "we're home."
"Hmmm…?"
"We're here."
Mercedes opened her eyes sleepily and looked around, "Oh," she murmured, "that was quick."
"Why don't you go on upstairs and get into bed? I can handle all the gifts."
"You sure?"
"Absolutely."
Mercedes gave him a sleepy smile before getting out of the car. Sam watched as she trudged slowly up the steps to the house. Once she was inside he hopped out of the car and opened the trunk and starting grabbing bags. He glared at the still wrapped crib and briefly contemplated leaving it out on the sidewalk in hopes that someone would steal it. Knowing that it would upset Mercedes was the only thing that was keeping the crib from becoming stolen property.
After three trips Sam managed to get all of the gifts into the baby's room. He left the crib in the trunk so he could take it to his condo later after he had checked in on Mercedes. When he went to their bedroom he found her curled around her body pillow in the middle of the bed. He kicked his shoes off and shrugged off his jacket and climbed in behind her. He put his hand on her stomach and he rubbed it gently and the few faint kicks he got in response were enough to help release the breath he didn't realize he was holding. Just like Mercedes said, the baby was fine and he was overreacting. He snuggled in closer and tangled his fingers in with the ones Mercedes had clutching her pillow. He whispered, "I love you," in her ear and smiled when he heard a soft "I love you too," in response. Sam's eyes drifted closed to the quiet sound of Mercedes' breathing and the feel of her soft thumb stroking his hand.
"….I don't want to freak him out…"
"…Mama, I don't know but I'm scared…"
Sam groggily looked around in confusion at his surroundings. He was still in bed but the spot where Mercedes had been was empty, cool…and damp. He sat up in surprise and quickly got out of bed in search of her.
"…I already called the doctor and she said I should come in…no…no, she didn't say what she thought could be wrong she just told me to come in…I don't know…I felt a little dizzy so I laid down and after that I felt fine. I went to sleep and I slept about an hour or so but when I woke up I was drenched in sweat and now I feel like I'm having contractions…I don't know Mama!"
Sam heard Mercedes' high, panicky voice coming from the bathroom. He pushed the door open and he found her clutching her stomach with tears running down her face. He grabbed the phone from her hand and practically barked into it,
"Marilyn? We're going to the hospital."
"Good. Please, Sam take care of my baby."
"I will." He answered shortly before hanging up the phone and tossing it on the counter. "Why didn't you say something?" He asked more harshly that he intended. "I knew something was off and you did too, so why didn't you say anything?"
"I was tired Sam," she snapped through gritted teeth, "I've been tired for weeks, I just started feeling really strange a few hours ago."
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry." Sam clenched his eyes shut and pinched the bridge of his nose before asking, "What hurts? What do you need? What do you want me to do?"
"Slow down," Mercedes panted as she clutched her stomach, "I feel like….I feel like I'm having contractions but they are constant and ahhhhhh…." Mercedes knees buckled and Sam came forward and caught her.
"We…have to go…now…"she continued panting as she laid heavily against him, "Holly said we…need…we have to…go…Sam…"
"Ok, baby." Sam said frantically he grabbed her hand and led her back to their bedroom. As she sat down heavily on the bed he ran to their closet and grabbed the first comfortable looking outfit he could find for her. He hurried back to her side and helped her pull off her damp dress. As soon as the cool air hit her heated skin goose bumps rose all over her body and her teeth started to chatter almost immediately. As quickly as he could he helped her get dressed before leading her downstairs to the car. Once he got her settled in he rushed back upstairs and with trembling hands put his jacket and shoes back on. He looked around frantically for something to grab for Mercedes to have at the hospital but he saw nothing. This was happening too fast and they weren't ready yet, it was all wrong. Tears temporarily blurred Sam's vision but he quickly blinked them away before grabbing his phone and wallet off the dresser and running back downstairs.
As he got in the car he looked over at Mercedes and the pinched, pained expression on her face as she continued panting had his heart racing in fear. He reached across the console and grasped her hand and she clung to him tightly.
"Please hurry, Sam." She begged and Sam let go of her hand long enough to put the car in gear. Once they were on the road he grabbed her hand again and he brought it to his lips.
"We're going to be okay, baby." He whispered against her hand, "we're going to be okay."
For years to come Sam would always marvel at how he was able to get them to the hospital in the amount of time he did unscathed. He ran every light, broke every traffic law known to man and he managed to get them there in one piece. Once he pulled up to the entrance of the ER he threw the car into park and ran around to the other side to help Mercedes out.
"I don't…think…you…can park…here…" Mercedes said through clenched teeth.
"I don't care they can tow the damn thing." Sam said as he wrapped his arm around Mercedes and propelled her gently towards the entrance. Just inside the door were a group of wheelchairs and Mercedes sat down heavily in the closest one to the door. Sam pushed her through the second set of sliding doors and was almost immediately met by a nurse.
"Can I help you?"
"My fiance'…there's something wrong. She's 8 months pregnant and she's having pain—"
"Dr. Holly Holliday told me to come here," Mercedes interrupted, "she told me to come immediately and I need to see her now!"
The nurse flinched slightly at the loud tone of Mercedes voice but she didn't hesitate to go back to the nurse's station to make a call. Within just a few short moments Holly was rushing down the hall towards them. At the sight of her the very thin thread of control Mercedes seemed to be holding on snapped and she started to cry almost hysterically.
Holly crouched at Mercedes side and ran a comforting hand down the side of her face, "hey, now…I know you're scared but we don't know what we're dealing with here. Maybe you two haven't been paying your little one enough attention and she just wants to make her presence known?" She joked lightly.
Mercedes continued crying but the hysterical edge seemed to have worn off and the white knuckled grip that Sam didn't realize he had on the handles of the wheelchair slackened a bit.
Holly escorted them to an empty room and she asked Mercedes to get on the table so that she could do a quick examination. As Holly flitted around the room grabbing various items Sam watched as the several different emotions crossed Mercedes' face. He brought her hand up to his face and laid his cheek against the back of it. At the feel of his skin she let out a shuddering breath before turning her hand so that her palm was cupping his face. They stared at each for a long second before the moment was broken by the sound of Holly pulling a large sonogram machine towards the bed.
"So here is what we're going to do, I'm going to check and make sure everything is okay with the baby, which I'm sure it is, and then we're going to focus on stopping that pain if we can. Okay?"
"Okay," Mercedes murmured, "what do you think it can be?"
"More than likely?" Holly started as she squirted cold liquid on Mercedes stomach and started moving the wand around, "more than likely it's just Braxton-Hicks but because it's your first pregnancy and you weren't expecting such strong contraction-like pain so soon it probably scared you…"
Holly's voice trailed off and she slid the sonogram machine closer so that she could see the screen better.
"How long have you been having this pain, Mercedes?" She asked as the light timbre of her voice changing slightly.
"My back has been bothering me for the last couple of weeks but this pain just started about an hour or so ago."
"Okay…have you experienced any vaginal bleeding?"
"No." Mercedes answered, as she struggled to sit up.
"That's a good thing right?" Sam asked as he watched the furrow in Holly's brow get deeper as she continued moving the wand on Mercedes stomach.
"Did you fall, bump into anything, get hit with something?"
"No! Holly what's going on? Why are you asking all these questions? And why can't we hear her heartbeat?"
Sam's eyes flew to Holly's pinched, worry face and he could feel his heart drop.
"Holly?" He asked in gruff voice. "Why can't we hear it?"
Holly glanced quickly at both of them before turning up the sound and seconds later the sound of a heartbeat filled the room. Both Sam and Mercedes breathed a sigh of relief but it was short-lived because something was off. There was a heartbeat but it was slow, much too slow and Sam could tell by the look on Holly's face that she knew it.
She pushed the machine away and got a cloth to wipe Mercedes stomach with. Her quick, precise movements were a startling contrast from her usually languid way of doing things and it caused a heavy lump to form in Sam's throat. Once she had finished cleaning off Mercedes she pulled her stool around so that she could sit on Mercedes' side opposite Sam.
"We have to take the baby,"
"No…no…no…no" Mercedes started to cry as she shook her head back and forth, "it's too early and she's too small. She's not ready yet! I'll do bed rest, I'll stay in the hospital until it's time…"
"Mercedes!" Holly snapped, "I know you're scared but your baby is in distress and if we don't take her now she will die. Do you understand?"
"Yes," Mercedes sobbed as Sam watched on helplessly.
"We're going to have to do a C-section right now. If there was any other way believe me I would do it but there's not. The baby has to come out. Now."
Mercedes face was buried in her hands but she nodded her head slightly. Holly took that as all the permission she needed and she became a flurry of action. She went outside and barked some orders to the nurses out there and within seconds they were coming into the room to take Mercedes to the operation room.
Sam stood back and watched all the movement with a vague sense of detachment. All of this felt as if it were happening to someone else. Just a few hours ago he was surrounded in pink outfits and teddy bears and unwanted cribs for his baby and now there was a chance there might not be a baby. Sam was so detached from it all he didn't even know what was real anymore. Was this really happening or was it just a horrific nightmare?
"SAM!" Holly yelled ripping him out of his impending downward spiral, "you need to get prepared to go in with Mercedes. Go with the nurse and she'll get you ready."
Sam looked at Holly blankly before a small dark-haired nurse gently tugged him out of the room. Within minutes he was gowned up and heading into a large white room and once inside he found Mercedes lying on an operating table. Tears ran unchecked down her face and Sam hurried to her side.
"I'm so…so sorry." Mercedes cried.
"For what?" He asked as he looked at her in surprise.
"I should have known something was wrong. I am her mother. She is inside of ME. I should have known something was wrong."
"Shhhhhh…" Sam whispered, "This is not your fault, do you hear me? No matter what happens, this is not your fault."
Mercedes face crumpled and the tears started flowing faster.
Holly's face appeared over the curtain and she gave Mercedes a brief sympathetic glance before looking at Sam and saying, "its time."
Sam nodded jerkily before turning his attention back to Mercedes. Her eyes were wide and worried but they softened a bit when she looked into Sam's eyes.
"I'm scared." She whispered quietly.
"I am too." He admitted.
Neither one of them said another word but their eyes never left each other's as Holly and her team worked. Sam didn't know how much time had passed before he finally heard Holly's triumphant, "She's out!"
Mercedes broke eye contact with Sam in search of their daughter but a nurse quickly grabbed the baby after the umbilical cord was cut and shuffled her off to a corner was a warmer was set up.
For a moment the only sounds in the room were the quiet murmurings between the nurses in the corner and Holly's low voice and she said something over and over again as she continued working on Mercedes.
Sam rubbed his thumb soothingly over Mercedes forehead as he looked back and forth between Holly and the nurses working on the baby.
"Why isn't she crying?" Sam took his eyes off of the anxious worried expression on Holly's face and turned back to look at Mercedes.
"What?"
"The baby! Why isn't she crying!"
Sam turned back towards the corner and he could see the nurses now working feverishly and almost roughly with the baby. He started to walk towards the warmer but the sight of his daughter's very tiny dark purplish-blue legs had him pulling up short. He didn't know much about babies but he knew that she shouldn't look like that. Something was wrong, it was all so very, very wrong.
He watched in horror as the nurses around his daughter continued to frantically work. Sam could feel his heart thundering in his chest and it was so loud that he could hear it in his ears. It was so loud in fact that it was drowning out almost all the other sounds in the room. Even Mercedes' loud, plaintive cry asking why their baby wasn't crying got fainter and fainter as if he was getting further and further away.
But he wasn't. He hadn't moved.
"DAMN IT! She's losing too much blood, she's going into shock!"
Sam turned back towards the operating table to find Holly barking frantic orders to her colleagues. The air in the room seemed to crackle with energy as both sets of teams seemed to moved in some hyper-speed synchronicity. Sam looked back to Mercedes to see how she was and his blood instantly ran cold at the sight of her lying motionless on the table.
He rushed forward and shook her shoulder almost roughly.
"Mercedes!" He barked loudly as he shook her again, "MERCEDES!"
"Stop, Sam." Holly said sharply, sparing him a brief glance before saying to the nurses, "get him out of here."
Two of the nurses came to his side and started tugging on him, "Mr. Evans, you have to go out and let the doctor's do their work."
Sam ignored them and kept focusing on Mercedes who looked more and more lifeless as the seconds ticked by.
"I'm not going." Sam said stubbornly, "I'm not leaving my family."
"If you don't get out and let us do our work you won't have a family!" Holly snapped, "Sam, you cannot be in here right now. Please go."
Sam looked at Holly until the tears in his eyes caused his vision to blur completely. He allowed the nurse to lead him out and he leaned heavily on the wall outside the door.
"Wait here, Mr. Evans. The second we know anything concrete we will let you know."
"Are they going to die?" Sam asked quietly as he slid down the wall to sit on the floor. "They're going to die aren't they?"
"Mr. Evans, I…" The nurse looked down at him sadly as she tried to find the right words to say. "I promise you the second I know anything I will let you know."
Sam buried his face in his hands as he waited. He waited for the sound of his daughter's crying. He waited for the sound of the nurse's footsteps as she came back out to tell him everything was okay. He waited for the sound of his alarm going off as he woke up and realized this was all a bad dream.
He waited for what seems like hours and finally he heard a noise but it was the last one he ever wanted to hear. It was the sound that shattered his heart into a million pieces. The sound that ended his entire world.
It was the faint sound of a heart monitor flat-lining.
A/N: Yes, I know I'm and evil, evil bitch. However, rest assured that I'm an evil bitch that believes in happy endings.